Japanese
Cooking (and dining) from Japan
We have lived here for a total of 11 years and this month, I wrote about all my culinary experiences in “My Japanese Table,’’ beginning with a breakfast of grilled fish, rice, pickles, and miso soup from our very first home stay in a rural area on the southern island, Kyushu.
Read moreJapanese American Matcha Mochi Cupcakes
TOKYO – Many foods brought to America by new immigrants evolve into dishes that combine ingredients from both cultures. California rolls are a good example.
Read morePut a little life in a child’s lunchbox
I have been bonkers for obento for more than 25 years. On one of our year-long stays in Japan my son Brad, went to fa local elementary school. Like any mom, I prepared lunch for him–American style. I soon learned that wasn’t going to cut the mustard — or wasabi as it were. So I …
Read moreFour Tasty Tofu Recipes
Boston Globe, January 6, 2010 Chinese steamed silken tofu with ginger and scallions Serves 4 At Rice Valley in Newton, cooks use silken tofu, which they steam with shreds of ginger and scallion. Then they bathe the cubes in hot soy sauce and chicken broth. You don’t need a wok or steamer. Use a deep …
Read moreTofu is all about the texture
Tofu is all about the texture Each of the three styles of soy bean curd has a purpose Those large white blocks of tofu can be intimidating. No matter how carefully you prepare them, the dishes never seem as good as they are when you eat out. It’s all a matter of determining which texture …
Read moreCarrot and daikon salad
Boston Globe, October 14, 2009 Carrot and daikon salad–Serves 4 Light vinegared salads, known in Japan as sunomono, can be made with most any vegetable. In Shizuo Tsuji’s “Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art,’’ the author pairs carrot and daikon radish in a light and refreshing dish with a sweet and sour dressing called amazu (the …
Read moreSpicy Tuna Salad
Boston Globe, July 29, 2009 Photo by Debra Samuels Think spicy tuna and a sushi bar comes to mind. But there are other ways to meld rich fish and hot condiments. One is this composed canned tuna salad, made with the same spicy sauce used in those popular sushi rolls. You can make the same dish …
Read moreCold Sesame Chicken
The cucumbers in this recipe are slightly crushed under the broad part of the blade of a knife. This breaks the skin of the cucumber creating a craggy surface to allow the hot sesame oil and dressing to seep in instead of slide off. Listen for the sizzle as the hot oil hits the cold …
Read morePressed Salmon Sushi
These sushi pieces are served on a platter sprinkled with scallions, with soy sauce. To dip the pieces, turn them salmon side down; if you dip the rice end first, the pieces fall apart. Ingredients: Rice (about 30 bite-size pieces) 2 1/2 cups short-grain white rice 2 3/4 cups water 5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar …
Read moreEriko’s Simmered Eggplant
This is a classic Japanese home style preparation for eggplant. The dish is served hot or cold. The eggplants are first scored and then soaked in water to remove some of the natural bitterness and then patted dry. They are then sautéed in oil and a bit of sugar to form a sweet crust. Eriko’s …
Read moreOkonomiyaki- Japanese savory pancake
Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake filled with shredded cabbage, bits of briny seafood, slivers of meat and pickled red ginger (beni shoga). After cooking it is shellacked with a tangy glaze made of Worcestershire-like sauce with a dusting of dried seaweed flakes (aonori) and a flourish of shaved bonito flakes (katsuo) that seem to dance, …
Read moreWhat’s a Sox game without dried squid and beer?
TOKYO – Peanuts! Popcorn! Squid jerky, anyone? The Boston Red Sox play their season opener nine days from now at the Tokyo Dome, once home field to their relief pitcher Hideki Okajima, a former member of the Yomiuri Giants. And instead of those sausage and onion subs on Yawkey Way, fans will be munching dried …
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Bento:Build a Better Lunch
Debra Samuels, bestselling author, food writer and cooking instructor, wants to give the American lunchbox a makeover. In the chapter on “bento,” the traditional Japanese lunch box, in her upcoming book, My Japanese Table, Debra encourages the use of color, texture and taste to create healthier and more visually appealing meals.
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